


The Secret Life

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-31
Updated: 2009-09-12
Packaged: 2019-01-19 06:51:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12405243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: We all know Harry Potter's story. But what if there was one person that everyone kept from Harry, seemingly for his protection? What happens when she comes back and how does she change the story we all know?





	1. Beatriz Clarke

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

        “Okay, boys and girls, remember my instructions: think of one adjective that best describes your classmates and write it on their little card. Go!”

            Beatriz was not looking forward to having her Adjective Card read aloud. After five years in school, she knew exactly what it would say. While her classmates scrambled out of their chairs and pushed each other to get to everyone’s card, Beatriz made her way around the room, placing the appropriate generic adjectives on each card. Pretty… Nice… Smart… Friendly… Loud… Shy. By now, the small circle of space her classmates left around her did not even faze her. 

            “Class, take your seats. Who wants their card to be read first?” the teacher called, smiling. Beatriz thought that the smile was due to the fact that the teacher would be away from all these little monsters for a full three months.  

            The minutes seemed to drag as the teacher read every person’s card. Even though Beatriz tried to be indifferent, she couldn’t help but be nervous and hope that maybe this time it would be different. 

            She watched anxiously as the teacher’s lips formed the shape of my name and braced herself unnecessarily. It would have been impossible for Beatriz to realize what the teacher did if she hadn’t been staring at her every move. She let the card drop into the trash bin next to her. Beatriz followed the paper with her eyes and saw the angry red letters: WEIRD.

            Beatriz met the teacher’s eye and she smiled apologetically. At least, thought Beatriz angrily, she had been spared from yet another humiliation. 

            In truth, Beatriz wasn’t surprised. She had never fit in with any of the kids in her school. In fact, most of the time she was avoided like a disease or a particularly nasty dung pile. She got used to it, but she wished it were different. She didn’t want to be the most popular kid in the class; her hair was too bushy to be considered pretty and she still had too much trouble with her times table to be considered smart, but she just wanted to be normal. 

            For some reason, inexplicable—and slightly freaky—things happened around Beatriz without her control. For example, whenever a teacher called on her to give an answer she did not know, the class started trembling, like an earthquake. The one day Mark was making fun of her, he started choking and the Heimlich maneuver did not help. Though there was no conclusive evidence to point back to her, but she—and everyone else—knew it was her fault.

            No one in class noticed that Beatriz’s was the only card not read, thankfully. As the bell rang signaling the end of another year and the beginning of yet another boring summer, Beatriz sighed inwardly, wondering if next year, when she started secondary school, she would continue to be this invisible.  

            She didn’t stay to watch the tearful goodbye’s and the animated conversations about summer vacations or the coming changing of schools. As she did not have any friends that would want to say goodbye to her, she left, not wanting to tempt fate by giving another kid the chance to make fun of her.  

            Beatriz’s house was only a couple of blocks away from the school, so she was allowed to walk home everyday. She paid no attention to the familiar suburban neighborhood as she already started worrying about the first day of school in September. As she approached her house, she saw her mum outside, tending to her flowerbeds. She smiled when she saw Beatriz and waved a gloved hand.  

            “How was your last day of primary school, honey?” she asked happily as Beatriz passed. Apparently she thought this was something to be sad about. “Are you sad you’re going to leave your friends behind to go to another school?”

            “Yes, I’m bummed,” Beatriz muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes and not even stopping at the doorway. She loved my parents but it was just ridiculous how they turned a blind eye to the many parental complaints they received about their daughter’s supposed bullying. They refused to believe that things happened around Beatriz that were not supposed to happen, even if glasses and plates exploded in the dinner table when she got mad—which, by the way, did happen once. They insisted that it was a stage and she was not trying hard enough to make friends. As if she actually _enjoyed_ being the loner, thought Beatriz bitterly. 

            After she dropped her schoolbag in her room, she went to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich, Angrily and with more force than was required, she tossed ham and cheese inside the bread without even bothering to throw in any condiments. She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, leaning against the kitchen counter. 

            That’s when she noticed the envelope on the dinner table. This was weird in itself because her mother usually took the mail to the study so that her father would look at it when he got home from work. Out of curiosity, she approached the lonely letter and examined it. It was not a normal white envelope, but a stranger yellow parchment kind and it was thick. It was strangely addressed in emerald ink: _the last bedroom on the right._ There was no stamp. Perhaps even more strange was the fact that it was addressed to Beatriz. She _never_ got mail; she was only twelve years old and she had no friends. She flipped it over, thinking that she might as well open it. Holding the flap closed was a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter ‘H’. 


	2. Lily Evans

  


            Lily wiped her cheeks, angry with herself for taking Petunia’s words to heart. She was not a freak! It’s not her fault that she and Severus get to go to Hogwarts while Petunia stays behind. Severus is right; Petunia is jealous. Even still, she missed her sister. Ever since she had met Severus her sister hated her. 

            The compartment door slid open and Snape walked in and took a seat in front of Lily, ignoring the two other boys in the compartment. 

            Lily determinedly kept her eyes outside the window. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

            “Why not?”

            “Tuney h—hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.”

            “So what?” 

            Lily glared at Severus. 

            “So she’s my sister!” 

            Lily wiped her eyes again and did not hear Severus stuttering over his words. 

            “But we’re going!” he said excitedly. “This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!”

            Lily smiled despite her low spirits. She couldn’t deny that she had been dreaming of this moment for months. 

            “You better be in Slytherin!” Severus said. 

            “Slytherin?”

            Lily looked around. The other two boys in the compartment had apparently overheard their conversation. 

            Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” the boy asked his companion. He had untidy black hair and glasses and the unmistakable air of someone that’s well taken care of. 

            His companion said softly, “My whole family have been in Slytherin.”

            “Blimey,” said the obnoxious untidy haired boy. “And I thought you were alright.”

            “Maybe I’ll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?”

            The obnoxious boys’ chest seemed to swell with pride. “ _Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart_ , like my dad.”

            Severus scoffed. 

            “Got a problem with that?”

            “No,” Severus said, sneering. Lily could kick him every time he wore that particular expression. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy—”

            “Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” said the other boy, wearing a sneer to match Severus’s. 

            Lily had had enough.      

            “Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment,” she said, standing up and walking out of the compartment. 

            “Oooooh!”

            “See ya, Snivellus!”

  



	3. Beatriz Clarke

Beatriz took a deep breath before opening the compartment door.

“Can I sit here?” she asked timidly, braced for the usual rejection. 

A rather small and skinny redhead looked up from her book. The compartment was empty, save for her and a pale boy of about the same age. The girl’s eyes were almond shaped, a deep emerald green, and clouded with suspicion. The crease on her forehead deepened as she inspected Beatriz, then smoothed out. She nodded.

Beatriz almost sighed with relief, having apparently passed the test. She took a seat next to the girl and analyzed her more closely. She figured that she couldn’t be much older than her. She had pale skin covered with soft freckles, bringing out in sharp contrast the abnormal color of her eyes and hair. Beatriz had never seen eyes so green and decided that the girl was very pretty. 

“What did you say your name was again?” the boy muttered coldly. He was the complete opposite of the girl. His paleness was deathly white, not rosy.  He had a long nose and greasy black curtains of hair that almost covered his face. His eyes were the color of caves or tunnels. 

“Uh, I didn’t actually. Beatriz. Beatriz Clarke,” Beatriz tried her best to sound casual and friendly. She usually didn’t have to have a conversation with anyone other than her parents.  

“Hmm, must be another Mud—Muggleborn. I’ve never heard of that surname before,” the guy said, almost sneering. 

Beatriz’s guard was raised. She had no idea what a Muggleborn was, but the kid’s tone did not imply any sort of compliment.

“I’m a Muggleborn, too, Sev,” the girl reminded him. “You said it didn’t matter.”

The kid pursed his lips but didn’t comment, instead burying his nose in a book. The redhead turned to Beatriz and smiled brightly.  

“My name’s Lily Evans. This is my friend, Severus Snape. We live a few blocks away from each other. He’s the one that figured out I was a witch. Forgive him; he’s just a little mad at some blokes we ran into before. Are you a first-year too?” She said all this very fast.

“I am,” Beatriz affirmed. “What’s a Muggleborn?”

“Oh! Well, it just means that you’re parents aren’t magical. Don’t worry I’m one too. Sev is a half-blood because his mum is a witch, but his dad isn’t and Purebloods have an entire magical family. Severus told me it doesn’t matter though,” she said, smiling brightly.

            Beatriz stared at Severus thoughtfully, already not as fond of him as Lily seemed

to be. He might have told Lily that being a Muggleborn didn’t matter, but if that were true, then why did the titles exist in the first place? Severus raised his glance from his book, as if reading my mind. He met my stare defiantly, as if begging me to contradict him. 

“Is he a first-year too?” Beatriz asked.

“Yes. I hope we’re all in the same house. Severus wants me to be in Slytherin because he seems convinced that’s where he’ll be placed in.”

Beatriz nodded, even though she didn’t have the faintest idea what Slytherin was. 

After going to Diagon Alley and passing through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ however, she was getting accustomed to not knowing a lot of things about this new world. Despite the lack of knowledge, she was happier than she had ever been, sitting in the train and chatting with Lily. Beatriz was relieved to learn that Lily was as much of an outcast as she had been because she could do things with her mind. Maybe Beatriz would finally make friends at Hogwarts because everyone was just as ‘weird’ as she was. 

  



	4. Sirius Black

  


“GRYFFINDOR!”

            Even the Sorting Hat’s voice mocked him. Sirius jumped off the stool in a daze, his eyes immediately searching for his older cousin, Bellatrix. She could have been his sister, so alike they were. Every plan of ruling the castle, torturing the Mudbloods, giving the Black name the honor it deserved, vanished into the clear starry sky over the Great Hall. 

            A single clap broke the stunned silence and soon the other Gryffindors were cheering and clapping for _him_. He walked to the wrong side of the room and sat at the wrong table, for he was a _Slytherin._ He had been a Slytherin since he was inside the womb! What kind of a sick joke is this?

            Sirius watched with utter disgust as his _housemates_ —he scoffed at the word internally—joined him. Hands down the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes on smiled at him and all he could do was glare. If he didn’t know her by now, it meant that she was not a Pureblood and therefore not worth his time. 

            Instead, he settled for looking at Bellatrix. She barely spoke as she ate and snapped at anyone who tried talking to her. Eventually, her eyes met his and they had a silent conversation. 

            _How could this happen, Bella?  
_

_It’s a mistake, Sirius. I’m sure my aunt will talk to that idiot Dumbledore and get things straightened out. By tomorrow morning, you’ll be a Slytherin, I promise._

_What if they don’t let me be sorted again? I can’t be a bloody Gryffindor! Look at the people surrounding me!_  
_I know, Siri. I’ll get you out of there.  
_

            He didn’t know if he was imagining this conversation or if maybe they really were reading each other’s minds. He had always had this connection with Bellatrix, however. He couldn’t stand his other cousin Narcissa, because she was just so _delicate_. He had no patience for her. Andromeda was funny, but the age difference was too great. His brother Regulus he adored, mainly because Regulus adored him. 

            But only Bellatrix understood him. Only Bellatrix would help him sneak out of the house and cause trouble. Bellatrix taught him his first spell and since then taught him how to duel. She even looked like him! They had the same features, the same gray eyes, the same thick, black hair. He looked forward to coming to Hogwarts just to be with Bella. 

            After dinner, Sirius was the last to leave the Great Hall. Bellatrix hung back as well.

            “Do you think Mum will be mad?” he muttered. 

            “Furious. She shouldn’t take it out on you, though. It’s not your fault,” Bellatrix paused and looked at Sirius suspiciously. “I mean, it wasn’t your fault, was it? You didn’t _ask_ to be put in Gryffindor, right?”

            “Of course not!” Sirius said, offended that his cousin would think such a thing. “You know I wouldn’t!”

            Bellatrix sighed. “Yes, I know. There must be something we could do. You shouldn’t be sleeping with Mudbloods.”

            She bit her lip and with slight hesitation did something she had never done before: she hugged him. 

            “I’m sorry, Siri.”

            “I’m sorry, too, Bella.”


	5. Remus Lupin

  


            Remus had been shocked that the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor. From what he knew about Hogwarts, Gryffindor seemed to be the best house! Not only was he in Gryffindor, but he already made some friends! James Potter and Peter Pettigrew were both very funny. Remus knew that he would have to be careful to not divulge his secret around them though. No matter how friendly they were, they would not want to be rooming with a werewolf. 

            “I can’t believe I’m in Gryffindor!” James said, bouncing on his chosen bed. He grinned at the boy in the bed next to him. Remus hadn’t decided if he liked the boy much. He was too sulky and haughty. “See, Sirius? You did break the tradition!”

            Sirius smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. James did not seem to notice. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

            “Oh! Sorry, guys! Remus, Peter, this is Sirius Black.”

            “Black?” Peter squeaked. He seemed almost frightened. 

            “Yes Black,” Sirius said. He did not seem surprised at Peter’s obvious awe. He smiled at himself, as if enjoying a private joke. 

            “I’ve heard of the Black family,” Peter said, his voice still exhibiting that annoying admiration. 

            “I’m sure you have,” Sirius said, enjoying the attention. 

            James decided that he had been ignored long enough. “Have you heard of the Potter family, Peter? My parents used to be Aurors, but now they’re retired.”

            “You might be related to me,” Sirius said casually. “I’ve seen some Potters in the family tree.”

            “Really?” James said excitedly. 

            Peter yawned. “I’m tired, guys. I think I’m going to bed.”

            “Aw, come on, Pete! How can you be tired?” James  moaned. 

            “I’m pretty sleepy, too,” Sirius said.

            James pouted as his roommates tucked themselves in. Remus smiled apologetically. 

            The next morning, Remus was the first one to wake up, closely followed by a bouncing James. 

            “Are you excited, Remus? I wonder what class we’ll have first. I hope it’s Transfiguration, although I hear Charms is also an interesting class.”

            “I’m excited for Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Remus supplied. 

            “Oh, that’s right! We’ll learn how to battle Dementors and Boggarts and Werewolves—”

            Remus flinched. He had almost forgotten about that minor detail. That’s the first time that had ever happened. 

            By the time Remus and James were ready, Peter and Sirius were still snoring. 

            “Should we wake them?” Remus asked. 

            “I think so. I don’t think they’d want to be late to their first class,” James said. “PETER! SIRIUS! WAKE UP!!!”

            Remus covered his ears as James went around the room screaming. Peter groaned and rolled off the bed in surprise. Sirius grabbed a pillow and covered his head but otherwise did not move.  

            “Merlin, James,” Peter gasped, shuffling to the bathroom. 

            “Sirius!! Come on!!” James said, bouncing to his bed. He stopped at Sirius’s open trunk and peered inside. 

            “James, I don’t think you should—” Remus warned.

            “What’s with all this green stuff in here?”

            In a flash, Sirius was out of bed and had slammed his trunk closed. “What the hell are you doing going through my private things/”

            “You left it open, you git!” James shouted back. “I know you’re family has all been in Slytherin but blimey! Why were you put in Gryffindor if you wanted to be Slytherin so badly? You know that you can choose, right?’

            Sirius glared at James with hatred but, if Remus was any judge of emotions—and he usually was—Sirius seemed taken aback by that piece of information. 

            “You can _choose?_ ” Sirius asked incredulously.

            “You know what? Forget it, Black,” James said, and he stalked out of the room.  


	6. Sirius Black

  


            Sirius arrived at the Great Hall thoroughly pissed off. He couldn’t believe that James was looking through his trunk! That little git had no idea what a violation of privacy was. But he was more pissed off at the fact that James said he was allowed to choose. That couldn’t possibly be right. The stupid Hat never _asked_ him what house he wanted to be in! 

            But what if Sirius didn’t _want_ to be in Slytherin? What if the only reason he was put in Gryffindor was because the Hat had seen that deep down he didn’t want to be in Slytherin?

            Sirius mentally shook himself. “Pass the syrup, Pete.”

            Pettigrew seemed delighted to be passing Sirius the syrup. No, he was probably more delighted at the fact that Sirius had given him a nickname already. Sirius had no idea how Peter was placed in Gryffindor as he did not seem at all “brave” but he liked the attention enough. 

            When the mail arrived, Sirius was surprised with the Black family owl landing in front of him. His surprise turned to utter dread when he recognized the red envelope in its beak. 

            “Oh, no,” Sirius moaned. The envelope was already smoking at the edges. 

            “Open it, mate. It’ll be worse if you don’t,” the upperclassmen in front of him urged. 

            Sirius ripped open the Howler’s flap with shaking fingers. 

            “SIRIUS ORION BLACK!” his mother’s voice screamed at him. All chatter in the Great Hall died out as everyone looked for the source of the screaming. 

            “YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO  T HIS FAMILY! THE ONLY BLACK TO BE SORTED IN GRYFFINDOR, OF ALL HOUSES! YOU BETTER HAVE A SUITABLE EXPLANATION WHEN I GET THERE TODAY OR WE’LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!”

            Sirius’s face remained impassive, but inside he was crying. He stood up and walked out of the Hall, leaving the envelope to continue shouting insults at him. 

            His mother and father showed up later in the day, ready to curse Dumbledore to the next century. Sirius was brought to Dumbledore’s office and sat in silence between his parents. His family had always said Dumbledore was old and off his rocker but—being so close to him now—Sirius couldn’t help but be intimidated.

            “Dumbledore, I want my son in Slytherin immediately!” Walburga demanded. Sirius thought Dumbledore to be incredibly brave for not recoiling from his mother’s venom voice. 

            “I’m sorry, Mrs. Black, but I cannot do that. The Sorting Hat places the student in the house that fits him best—”

            “Which is Slytherin,” Orion Black interrupted. “Every single Black has been sorted into Slytherin—”

            “Except for Sirius,” Dumbledore said sternly. “Sirius was placed in Gryffindor and in Gryffindor he shall remain. It’s a perfectly honorable house and I have no doubt he will warm up to it. I myself was in Gryffindor and I have turned out perfectly all right.”

            Dumbledore smiled kindly at Sirius and winked. Walburga scoffed. 

            “Dumbledore, I am prepared to pay a heavy sum to have him resorted or we shall go to the Ministry if need be.”

            “Mrs. Black, no amount of gold will change the fact that your son is in Gryffindor. Now you can go to the Ministry if you wish, but the fact remains that the Founding Fathers put a spell against any sort of resorting. Not only would I not allow it, but it simply cannot be done.”

            “Mother, I can endure being in Gryffindor. There’s more to life than the Hogwarts houses,” Sirius said dully, already tired of the useless discussion.

            “Well, that’s settled then!” Dumbledore said brightly, standing up. “Now, Mr. And Mrs. Black, if I could show you the way out? I’m sure Sirius has a lot of studying to do.”


	7. Beatriz Clarke

Beatriz was reassigned to work with Sirius Black for her second Potions class because her usual partner, Remus Lupin, was sick already. She tried being friendly, but Sirius ignored her every comment and suggestion, proceeding to mix the potion as if she was not there. Beatriz feigned indifference, but she was no longer used to this sort of treatment after making so many friends at Hogwarts. Her frustration got the better of her and her loose tongue started talking without her permission.  

“Do you hate me or something?” she whispered harshly, the effort from trying to contain her anger making her quaver. Sirius, too, was shaking. 

“Yes I do! Because you’re a bloody Mudblood!” he scorned. His voice was poison, evil. The word was said with such repulsion that Beatriz felt as though she had been slapped even though she had no idea what the word meant. 

“You probably don’t even know what it means,” he jested. 

Could he read minds, too?

“What does it mean?” she murmured, her previous confidence evaporating quickly.

“It means dirty blood,” he spat, his gray eyes filled with loathing. He wasn’t particularly handsome because of his lanky and boyish features, but his face was so distorted with fury and repugnance that he was just plain ugly. “It’s a foul name for someone like you, who has no magical blood in your ancestry. You shouldn’t be allowed at Hogwarts; you are no better than a Muggle. People like you shouldn’t be allowed to talk to people like me.”

He went back to stirring the potion as though the conversation didn’t happen, leaving Beatriz to shake and bite her lip to resort to any means possible to not cry.

            As soon as the bell rang signaling the end of the lesson, Beatriz gathered her books and notes and dashed out of the classroom, not even bothering to help Black clean up. She walked quickly through the halls, hands balled up into fists trying to control the anger within her. 

            Snape lied about blood not mattering. Beatriz knew now that nothing had changed because she came to Hogwarts. Here she would be hated and alienated because of her “dirty blood” while in the Muggle world she would be hated because she was a freak. Would she really never be as good a witch as a Pureblood? Even more frustrating was how easily Sirius Black was able to get under her skin, when she had spent 12 years of her life ignoring the jests of virtually every single person she had known. 

In retrospect, Beatriz realizes that it was Sirius Black who made her hate the blood flowing through her veins. She spent many years pretending to be fine with her Muggleborn status, but it was all a mask. She was not like Lily Evans, who proud of being a Muggleborn. People spent the majority of Beatriz’s life telling her that being a Muggleborn did not make her inferior, that she was just as good a witch as a Pureblood. That might have been true, but being a Muggleborn was anything but easy. The reality was that most people did not accept Muggleborns and they never would. Beatriz wanted her blood to be as sacred and traditional as the Blacks’. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lily said gently, breaking Beatriz’s train of thought. Beatriz was surprised to find her own cheeks wet, signalizing that she had been crying. 

“There’s really nothing to say!” Beatriz said, laughing mirthlessly. “Black is a pompous git who thinks he’s better than me because he’s a Pureblood. He called me a Mudblood, which is apparently a very serious insult.”

“That arse!” Lily fumed, true to her towering temper. “Just because he’s mad at how much his life sucks doesn’t mean he has a right to make everyone around him miserable! I’m going to have a talk with him—”

“No, Lily!” I said, grabbing her hand. “It’s fine. He doesn’t deserve it. I really don’t care about him at all.”

Lily’s expression softened. “Are you sure, Beatriz?”

“Yes, Lily. I can deal with it. Just think, I have another seven years to become best friends with him!” I said, smiling. 


	8. James Potter

            “Potter!” 

            James searched for the voice calling his name and was surprised to see none other than Lily Evans racing up the stands, huffing and puffing loudly. James couldn’t help but smirk.

            “Evans! Unexpected place to find you! I didn’t know you liked Quidditch!” James said, motioning to the pitch. 

            “Actually, I know next to nothing about it. But I heard that you were here and I needed to talk to you.”

            “To me? Of all people?” James said, raising his eyebrows. 

            “Yes, to you,” Lily said, with the tone one would use on a two year old. James could tell she was getting frustrated already. Seriously, the girl was too uptight. 

            “What can I do for you?” 

            “You might want to have a talk with your friend, Sirius Black! He’s being a complete arse to Beatriz for no reason,” Lily said angrily. 

            “Wait, who says he’s my friend? I’m not responsible for his actions. Why don’t you go and yell at him?” James said slightly annoyed that he was considered Sirius’s personal secretary. He had still not gotten over Sirius’s attitude with him on the first morning at Hogwarts. 

            “Well, he only talks to you! You know he doesn’t want to be in Gryffindor! He hates us all!” Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

            James sighed and surprised himself with his next words. “He’s going through a lot, Sirius. His parents aren’t cutting him any slack. It’s not his fault he wasn’t sorted into Slytherin.”

            “Yeah, but it’s also not Beatriz’s. He had no right to insult her and call her a Mudblood or whatever it was—”

            “A Mudblood?” James yelped. “He didn’t! Of course he has no right to call her that! I can’t believe he would do something like that!”    

            Lily seemed taken aback by James indignity. “Is it really that bad?”  
            “That’s the worst insult he could have come up with, Evans! I’m going to have a talk with him!”

            James stood up and raced down the stands with much more ease than Evans. He stalked through the halls quickly, hoping that Sirius was in the dormitory as he usually is so that he doesn’t have to actually go searching for him throughout the castle. 

            “Black!” James said, bursting through the dormitory door. Sirius was on the bed, leafing through the Potions book. 

            “Yes?” he said, not even giving James the courtesy of looking at him. James growled. 

            “Black, you listen and you listen good.” James said. “I know you don’t want to be here. I know you’d rather be in Slytherin with your cousins and the rest of your precious family, but guess what you’re not. And you can’t do anything about it and neither can your mummy so deal with it! You had absolutely no right to call Clarke a bloody Mudblood! Are you crazy?”

            Sirius’s eyebrows twitched. “She went and told you about it?”

            “No, she didn’t! Evans did because she thought we were mates. I thought you were an alright bloke, but maybe I was wrong. I don’t know what kind of manners your family has taught you, but you never call anyone a Mudblood in polite society!”

            Sirius stared at James, shocked that anyone would talk to him like that. 

            “She thought we were mates?” he said finally. 

            James sighed. “Yes, she did.”

            “Are we?”

            “Depends on the way you treat people,” James said sternly. “My mates don’t do that.”

            Sirius stayed quiet for a few moments, turning the pages of his textbook thoughtfully. “I guess I have been an arse.”

            “Yeah, you have. I know it sucks having to deal with parents like yours. I heard the Howler and I heard that your mother came to talk to Dumbledore. But really, being in Gryffindor isn’t all that bad. It could be worse.”

            “How so?” 

            “You could be in Hufflepuff.” James said, shrugging.         

            Sirius barked with laughter. “That is true. Or I could be roommates with Snivellus!”

            “Oh!” James said, flinching. “That would be the worst! He’d stain everything with grease! I bet he doesn’t even use shampoo!”

            Sirius’s laughter died. “Does this mean I have to apologize to Clarke? I mean, seriously, it’s not my fault that the girl is bloody awful on a broom.”

            James threw himself on his bed, laughing again. “Yeah, I’ll admit that was pretty bad. She’s wicked at Transfiguration, though.”

            “Is that bitterness I hear, Potter?” Sirius said mockingly. 

            “I’m better,” James said confidently. 

            “Yeah. It’s just…I’m surprised really. The way my family always depicted Mudbloods—”

            James glared at Sirius sharply. 

            “Muggleborns, sorry,” Sirius amended. “The way they talked about them, I thought they were nothing short of Squibs. And I get here and I see Clarke and Evans and they are so magical. I’m just dumbfounded.”

            “Sirius, Muggleborns are no different from us,” James said. “My parents have lots of Muggleborn friends and none have ever had trouble doing magic. You shouldn’t believe everything your parents say.”

            “Yeah, I guess not,” Sirius muttered. 

**Author's note: Some reviews would be nice. Hint Hint.**

  
  



	9. Sirius Black

  


            Sirius never imagined Hogwarts would alter him as much as it did. Or rather, he never thought that his entire family could be so wrong. After Sirius realized that being Muggleborn had absolutely no effect on one’s magical skills, he couldn’t help but wonder just how many other things his parents had been mistaken about. For example, the Blacks highly respected the Potters as a very old Pureblood family, but James didn’t consider himself to be anything special, at least not in that sense. 

            It took Sirius some getting used to, but he eventually grew fond of his Gryffindor mates. Everyone was cheerful and friendly, but his roommates were the best. James quickly became his best mate, but Remus and Peter were not far behind. They spent most of their nights sneaking out under James’s invisibility cloak and playing pranks on the Slytherins.  

            Sirius was excited to go back home for the Winter Holidays and tell his brother all about his adventures in Hogwarts. As him and his friends emerged from the barriers between Platforms 9 and 10, he watched as James’s mother embraced him in a rib-crackling hug, and Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Pettigrew attacked their respective sons with kisses and hugs. Sirius spent a couple of seconds trying to remember the last time his mother gave him a hug. Perhaps on the day he went to Hogwarts?

            No, she didn’t. Sirius couldn’t remember the last time his mother had given him any physical affection. 

            “Father,” Sirius said, approaching his parents.   
            “Sirius. Welcome back,” Orion said formally. 

            “Thank you, Father.”

            “Sirius, for Merlin’s sake, stand up straight,” his mother fussed. “Have you forgotten your posture at that horrid school?”

            “I apologize, Mother,” Sirius said, straightening his back. 

            Sirius eagerly opened the front door of his house, expecting to feel the relief of being home. Instead, he felt uncomfortable in the dreary darkness. Suddenly, having house-elves’ decapitated heads and serpents as doorknobs did not seem natural.

            “Sirius!” 

            “Hey, Reg!” Sirius said excitedly, giving his little brother a hug. “I have so much to tell you!”

            “Come!” Regulus said, pulling Sirius up the stairs. They went to Sirius’s room, which was bigger. Sirius had forgotten that the color scheme in his room consisted primarily of green. He made a mental note to change it. 

            “I can’t believe you were sorted into Gryffindor, Sirius!” Regulus said. “Mum was furious! I had never seen her like that!”

Sirius shrugged. “It’s really not so bad. I actually kinda like it. I have some cool friends. I can’t wait for you to come next year. Maybe you’ll be in Gryffindor, too!”

Regulus cringed. “I wanna be in Slytherin though, Siri.”

“I wanted to be in Slytherin, too. But I didn’t get my wish,” Sirius said crossly.  “Mum seems a little stricter than usual. What’s gotten into her?”

Regulus looked over his shoulder fearfully. “It’s Andy.”

“Andy? What about Andy?” Sirius said.

“She’s…she’s been blasted off.”

“What?!” Sirius yelped. “Why? I can’t believe it!”

“She ran off with a Mudblood,” Regulus explained. 

“That’s it?” Sirius asked, confused. 

“That’s it? What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? She ran off with a _Mudblood_ , Sirius!”

“A Muggleborn, Regulus. No one says Mudblood. You can get in serious trouble at Hogwarts for saying Mudblood.”

Regulus crinkled his nose. “Muggleborn? Are you joking? What’s gotten into you?”

“My friend James—”

“Oh, that’s right! _James_ says it’s wrong, so Sirius doesn’t say it!” Regulus drawled, dislike etched in his every feature. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Sirius asked angrily. “Why are you being like this?”

“I’m tired of hearing about your precious best mate! Do you not see how much you’ve changed because of him? All you do in your letters is talk about James! It’s pathetic! Mother was right! She says you’re going to become a Mudblood lover in that school!”

“Get out of my room! GET OUT!” Sirius roared. 

Sirius sighed and threw himself on his bed. So that was why his mother was being such a Class A bitch. Really, she needed to get over the Sorting thing. It’s only a House! Sirius bit his lip thoughtfully, examining his room. It’s only a house but…

“Kreacher!” Sirius said into the silence. The Black family house-elf appeared at his feet. 

“Yes, Master Sirius?” Kreacher said, bowing. 

“I want you to repaint this room. I want it painted red.”

Kreacher was appalled. “Red, Master?”

            “Yes, Kreacher! Red! Now!” Sirius said impatiently. “I’d do it myself, but you know I can’t do magic outside of school.”

            “Sirius! Dinner!” His mum called from downstairs. Sirius sighed and reluctantly made his way to the dining room. 

            He had forgotten how formal his family dinners were. It was not a time to bond, like it was for other families, but a time to be criticized on posture and table manners. Sirius could just imagine James talking animatedly about all the pranks they’ve pulled at his own family dinner at the moment. 

            “Sirius, tell me, what have they been teaching you at that school?” his father asked. 

            “Well, at first it was a lot of basic work and trying to get everyone to make magic with their wands. But then, we started doing the real magic. We’ve done Levitating Spells in Charms—”

            “I trust you didn’t have any problems with your wand, is that correct?” his mother interrupted him. 

            “No, of course not! I knew some spells they taught us at first. I only had trouble with Transfiguration. My friend James is excellent at it. And so is Beatriz, this one girl in my class—”

            “Beatriz? What’s her surname? Do we know her family?” his father interrupted. 

            Sirius gulped and gripped his fork tightly, thinking maybe he should lie. But his parents would find out eventually, anyway. 

            “No, you don’t…know her family,” Sirius said softly. 

            A heavy silence fell on the table. Sirius looked at his brother, but Regulus was eating his food with determination. 

            “Do you speak with this Mudblood?”

            “Well, she is in my house,” Sirius said, a little annoyed at his mother’s terminology. “I was paired up to be her partner in Potions once too. Mum, she’s a Muggleborn, but she’s extremely talented and magical. She’s the top of our class with Lily Evans—”

            “Evans? Another Mudblood?” his mother inquired. 

            Sirius’s hold on his eating utensils tightened. 

“I would prefer you did not refer to them as Mudbloods,” he said through clenched teeth. 

Walburga exchanged knowing glances with Orion from across the table. 

“Sirius, step outside for a moment,” his mother said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. Sirius swallowed and exchanged a panicked look with his brother. Whenever their mother took them out of the dining room, it only meant one thing. 

“Mother, I—”

SLAP!

Sirius gasped and touched his cheek, trying to relieve the hot stinging. 

“I will not have a Mudblood lover in this house as my heir!” she whispered. Sirius expected her to scream like a banshee as she usually did, but he found this to be even worse. 

His rational mind told him that he should perhaps stop talking now, but somehow the rebellious side was taking over. 

“There’s nothing wrong with them!” Sirius said exasperatedly. “They’re not Squibs, Mother! They can do magic as well as any of us! You were wrong about them, I promise!”

SLAP!

“You will go to your room this instant, Sirius Black, and you will come out when I think you’re ready.”

Sirius thundered up the stairs and locked himself up in his newly painted room. He realized that he would probably get another slap across the face for this, but…he didn’t care. That thought gave him a new resolve against his mother. He knew his parents were wrong and old-fashioned about a lot of things. He would not let himself be bullied by his family into accepting things he did not believe! He would be brave like James! He’s a Gryffindor, for Merlin’s sake. 

It took two days for his mother to come into his room. She was furious at the change he had done to his room, but she said they would deal with it later. 

            “We’re going to the Potters’ Christmas Ball tomorrow night. You will behave and you will not dishonor us in front of our friends, especially the Lestranges’.  Bellatrix is to be married next year to Rodolphus Lestrange.”

            “Rodolphus?” Sirius exclaimed. “But he’s so….”

            “He comes from a good, pure family. It would be an honor for Bellatrix and for the Blacks.”

            “Yeah, sure,” Sirius snorted. “Poor Bella.”

            “I expect you to look your best tomorrow,” his mother said.


	10. Lily Evans

            “Severus, can we talk?” Lily said shyly. She had always felt comfortable with Severus, but lately they had grown apart over this whole Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry. It was ridiculous. Severus was her best friend. 

            Severus sighed and put down his quill. “I’m a little busy, Lily.”

            “It will only take a second,” Lily insisted. She took a seat next to him. “What’s happened to us, Severus?”

            Severus refused to meet her glance. “Nothing. We have school, Lily. Homework and different classes and different…friends to spend time with.”

            “You’re my best friend though,” Lily said softly.

            “I think I’ve been replaced in that category,” Severus said, sneering. Lily couldn’t be fooled; she knew him well enough to unearth the pain behind his cold eyes. 

            “That’s not fair, Severus,” Lily said. It’s true that Beatriz had quickly become her best friend, but Severus was her childhood best friend. He _knew_ her. He was there when Petunia called her a freak and when she learned how to control her powers under his guidance. He was _there_. No one can take that away from him. Why couldn’t he see that?

“Yes, life tends to be unfair,” Severus said coldly. He remained silent, then he burst out, “You were supposed to be in Slytherin!”

Lily glared. “Are you serious, Severus? What is it with everyone and these stupid Houses? Who cares if I’m a Gryffindor and you’re a Slytherin? Who _cares_? You’re still my best friend! It doesn’t matter to me in what bloody house you’re in. You’re Severus and I’m Lily! I don’t understand!”

“Well, you better start understanding. It does matter, Lily. Gryffindors and Slytherins are not friends! Look at that bloody Potter and Black! You think I could be friends with them?”

“I’m not asking you to be! I’m asking you to be friends with me! It only matters if you make it matter!”

Severus sighed and closed his book with a snap. “Listen, Lily, I have to go.”

            Lily sighed. She wasn’t completely sure if she thought Hogwarts was worth it. Her sister thought her a freak and now she was losing her best friend. She thought she knew what Sirius Black must feel like after being sorted into the wrong house. But at least she had Beatriz and though she just met her, Lily could tell she would be a good friend to her. That James Potter, Lily admitted to herself grimly, was a definite downside to being in Gryffindor…


	11. Remus Lupin

           Remus knew that Dumbledore’s carefully concealed façade for his monthly disappearances were drawing to a close, at least with his roommates. After all, one can only be sick so many times before one dies. Remus had overreached his limit. 

            Throughout the year, James, Sirius, and Peter had become his best friends and many times he seriously considered telling him his deepest secrets, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if they didn’t accept him or worse, if they told people. He would have to leave Hogwarts. No parents would want their children in the same classes with a werewolf. Remus didn’t blame them. 

            His transformations since he had arrived at Hogwarts had gotten progressively more painful. Maybe it was the fact that he subconsciously knew he was transforming in an unfamiliar place and his mother wasn’t right outside the door. With each passing full moon, his werewolf form would bite and scratch himself for lack of anything else to destroy. Remus realized that he was more dangerous than ever. 

            Finally, the day he had been dreading arrived. Remus entered the dormitory after the last full moon before summer vacation when he realized that he was being ambushed by his best friends. All three were in their respective beds, completely silent—this in itself was weird enough—and waiting. 

            “What’s going on?” Remus said, the alarms ringing loudly in his head. 

            “We need to talk, Remus,” Sirius said. 

            “About?” 

            “Your _monthly_ disappearances,” James answered promptly. Remus did not like the emphasis on the word monthly. 

            “It’s not monthly,” Remus said, immediately starting to sweat with nerves. 

            “Remus, it is. We’ve kept a calendar,” Peter said apologetically.   

            “You’ve kept a calendar?” Remus said angrily, his temper slightly over the top with the transformation so recent. 

            “Look, Remus,” James said, sitting up on his bed. “We want you to be honest with us and tell us…if you’re a werewolf?”

            Remus’s jaw dropped. He had been so _careful_ and they still figured it out! If they could do it, that means the rest of the school probably knew it as well!

            “Remus?” Sirius prompted. 

            “I…I’m sorry, guys. I should’ve told you before. I am a werewolf. I have been a werewolf since I was three years old,” Remus said sadly. He took a deep breath. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to be roommates with me anymore.”

            The three boys stared at Remus with shocked faces. 

            “Are you mental?” Peter piped up. 

            “Remus, we’ve talked about it amongst ourselves already and we decided that we don’t care if you’re a werewolf. You are our best mate,” James said. 

            “Besides, you’re not a werewolf. You’re Remus! You just have…” Sirius struggled to find the right words. 

            “A furry little problem!” James supplied happily. 

            Sirius and Peter laughed. Remus, even in his tired state, couldn’t help but smile at his best friends. 

            “That’s right! A furry little problem.”


End file.
